You May Be Discriminating Against Your Coworkers And You Don’t Even Know It

People with easier-to-pronounce names have a better chance of being favored and even getting promotions than those with names that don’t flow as well (via BusinessWire).

According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, names that were easier to pronounce were viewed more positively and even helped in voting ballots compared to names that were more difficult to say aloud.

The study says that employers are likely not even aware that they are discriminating against their workers: “People simply aren’t aware of the subtle impact that names can have on their judgments,” says Adam Alter, an assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.